Up for review this week is the Casa Torano by Carlos Torano. This cigar was released in 2004 as a commercially available version of the Torano house blend. The cigar I smoked is the Robusto size which comes in at 4-3/4 inches long with a 52 ring gauge. The price point was in the neighborhood of $4.00 per single.
As I looked the cigar over I found the wrapper to be light in color and smooth to the touch. When pinched, I found the cigar to be firm with a light spring to it. After my initial inspection I clipped the head of my cigar and began to check the pre light draw. The draw was somewhat firm and had a sort of floral pre light flavor. With everything off to a decent start, I began to toast and light the foot.
Once lit, my Casa Torano began to produce a fair amount of thick light colored smoke. The body of the first third started off as Mild to Medium with a semi dry finish. The draw remained a little firm but was manageable while the burn was slow and even. The flavor profile was somewhat bland and boring at the start. The only discernible flavor was a very, very mild toasty flavor.
As I smoked my way into the second third of this stick the burn remained slow and even while producing a fair amount of resting smoke. The body remained in the Mild to Medium spectrum while the finish remained semi dry and lasted on the palate for two or three minutes after each puff. The base flavor was still toasty, while picking up a nutty aftertaste. The flavors were a nice change, but they still seemed kind of bland and not very interesting.
The final third of my Casa Torano was not much different from the start. The body slowly built its way into the Medium range while the finish seemed to get a little dryer and began to get a little harsh. The base flavor was very consistent with the second third, while the draw remained firm. The burn rate was still slow & even and also produced a firm and light colored ash.
Overall I think that this cigar was OK, but certainly would not be my first choice of Torano Cigars. There are times when I really enjoy a mild cigar, but this one was just too mild for my tastes and couldn’t keep my attention. If you are a fan of Mild cigars I would recommend picking one up. It certainly wasn’t a bad cigar in terms of construction, it just came up a little weak in the flavor department for my liking.
I’ve only smoked one and from what I remember it had an interesting mild flavor, not your run of the mill mild. I need to smoke another one and double check it.
Thanks for your efforts around here Walt- you’ve been putting in lots of OT, thanks for stepping up.
God bless Jerry and his family. My heart goes out to them. My family had to endure similar tribulations in the past few years as well. Faith and family will carry you through. Peace be with you.
I haven’t smoked one of these in awhile but they were my morning cigar, I enjoyed the flavor profile with my morning cup of joe. I think I need to buy a couple and see if I still like them.
Hey guys, do you think reviewing mild cigars late in the day is sort of sets them up for failure? I can’t appreciate mild cigars late in the day. The first time I had a RP Vintage 1999 Connecticut it was late in the day, after a steak dinner and I didn’t think much of the cigar. But a few months later, I gave it another go round, this time at lunch and WOWZERS did I love it.
On 2nd thought, I’m sure you guys have already considered this and time constraints dictate the time of day in which you get to review these cigars. My bad.
I tend to agree that the time of day can influence the flavor profile of a cigar. I think a lot of it has to do with the body’s level of hydration. If your mouth is dry, a strong cigar can come across as being very harsh, while a milder cigar can come across as being quite tasty.
I happen to be quite a fan of the Casa Torano line. As Cigar Jack mentioned, they are great with a morning cup of coffee.
–Miguel
Another great morning cigar recommendation…you will need to send one of these to Jerry and see how it compares to the RP Connecticut he raves about.